Winner winner {chicken dinner}

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the itti bitti giveaway last week. I consider them an incredible company so it was nice to see all the love (and tweets!). The winner of this wonderful minkee blankee is: #6 Sarah

Today I’ve been walking around in a daze trying to figure out how to get myself together. Add present wrapping and cookie parties to my list of already long Monday To Do’s and you’ve got yourself one confused woman. Oh, not to mention Moses’ birthday party is only a couple weeks away and the only thing I’ve thought of is a theme! Looks like I’ll have my hands full of wonderful projects these next few weeks.

Could not be happier to be home 5 of the 7 days next week so expect a lot of picture posts or not a dang thing from me!

Happy Monday and congrats again, Sarah!

Winner Winner {chicken dinner}

Thanks for everyone who entered the Green Eats giveaway by The Green Nursery.

The winner was selected at random and it goes to:

aerobebe1421 who was number 18!

Congrats; I will be emailing you to ask details about shipping.

There is still time to enter the itti bitti Blankee giveaway

It’s Monday, my weekend was fabulous, and I’m head over heels into the Christmas season.

A boy and his blankee {giveaway}

I want to tell you a story about a boy and his blankee. It started a couple months ago when his eyes lit up as I pulled it out of the package. Bright blues, greens, oranges, purples, reds, and yellows; his “color blankee” as he likes to call it. That night I tucked him into bed with his blankee wrapped around his body; it was minkee soft and he liked telling me over and over again all the beautiful colors he saw.

The next night after picking out stories for us to read in the rocking chair he quickly ran over to his bed and grabbed the blankee to join us for story time. I draped it over his body to keep him warm but was thankful it was big enough to fall around my chilled legs as well. Over the next few weeks it traveled to the couch for days he wasn’t feeling well or to Mom’s bed for early morning snuggles. Some days he pulled it over his shoulders turning it into a colorful cape but every night it ended up back in the little white toddler bed to keep him warm. The boy fell in love with his blankee.

The cape in action

Want to fall in love with your own minkee blankee? Know someone who is expecting and want to shower them with something special? My friends at itti bitti want to make that happen by offering one of the readings their own blankee in one of the brand new limited edition prints. This 39 by 29.5 inch “cot size” minkee blankee is double layered with print on top and solid white on the back with a white trim at the top; it is incredibly soft and retails for $39.95.

To enter: head over to itti bitti’s site and tell me one other thing you like in their new limited edition print. Please leave your email address in the comments otherwise I have no way of contacting you!

Extra: follow @busylandb and @ittibittiUS on Twitter then tweet about the giveaway
 Giveaway closes on December 16th and is open to US and Canadian residents over 18.

 This sponsored post is part of itti bitti’s “Fall in Love with itti bitti” campaign and I was given the Carnival print minkee blankee to cuddle with my little one. The whole toddler falling in love part was completely on his own. I first met itti bitti through Eco- Distribution USA over the summer when we fell in love with their cloth diapers; ever since then I’ve had nothing but impeccable customer service and great things to say! Thanks itti bitti and Eco- Distribution!
http://www.eco-distributionusa.com
http://www.ittibitti.us/
http://www.facebook.com/ittibitti 
http://twitter.com/ittibittius 
http://www.youtube.com/use/ittibittinappyco

cardio & food {story of my life}

Small steps, that’s what it’s taking to find motivation again. I wrote a small reasonable To Do list for after work yesterday however that was even too much. I did however get a few things done. I went to the gym and did an hour of cardio while watching trash TV (which I feel is the best way to do cardio) and I was able to find inspiration for my Christmas decorations. Tonight I hope to get in a cardio class and then work on executing the rest of the decorating. After that it’s side projects and cleaning…but only if I can handle it. I need to enjoy life, enjoy the small moments; even if it just means 1 or 2 small moments a day. Here are a few moments I’ve enjoyed this past week….

Birthday breakfast for my Mom

Eggs Benedict and silver dollar pancakes with apple pear topping

Hand made whole wheat pizza dough

 Stick with me because the 2 sponsored post will be up before the week’s end. And since I’ve put last week’s giveaway on the back burner I’ve decided to keep it open until Friday. I’ll announce the winner Monday and then announce the winner’s of this week’s [yet to be posted] giveaways next Friday. Wow, I hope that didn’t confuse everyone. We have loved all these products so I hope you have a chance to read about the great companies and enter to win something for your little one.

Toddler eats. {giveaway}

If you haven’t already at one point in your life you’re going to wonder what’s the best child’s plate out there is. With a baby any simple bowl is all you may need but as that baby turns into a toddler and solids are introduced it gets a little tricky. A bowl for the mush, a plate for the solids, and what about keeping them from all running together? I introduce to you the plate to solve all your problems: Green Eats divided plates! 

It’s silly to say but I thought I had good toddler plates…until the day these came in the mail! They’re a good sturdy weight made from 100% recycled plastic milk containers and contain no BPA, melamine, or phthalates AND come in 4 great colors. My favorite part about the plates is the depth of the dividers; they’re slightly curved and so deep! Finally a place to put yogurt or applesauce without frustrating little hands trying to push a spoon around every corner for a good bite. 

The pictures below are a Saturday breakfast of eggs, chicken sausage link (sliced), hash browns, and homemade applesauce; it gives a good idea of how much you can fit on one plate while still keeping it separate. The dividers are also good for keeping dip contained or a place for a scope of homemade baby food next to slew of Puffs. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t used them for time to time!

 

 

The great people at The Green Nursery are offering a set of 2 Green Eats plates for one lucky US reader. The Green Nursery is a great earth friendly website offering an array of everything for your kiddos. It’s easy to navigate and the best part about the site is having the knowledge that anything you pick out has already been tested and chosen as a legitimate green product. There is no need to browse 10 different sites for toys, dinnerware, or strollers because it’s all right here at the Green Nursery! For all of you shopping for Christmas they have a free shipping promotion going on for orders over $49! 

Simply fan/like their Facebook page and then check out their site and tell me which color you like best in the comment section. Anonymous comments will be ignored so please make sure an email address is provided.

For extra entries tweet about the giveaway and make sure to mention @busylandb and a link so they can enter too!

I will announce the winner next week!

Good luck and special thanks to The Green Nursery for hosting this giveaway!

Peter Rabbit Organics {winner}

It's Monday, I'm busy, so I will keep this short and sweet! 

The winner of the Peter Rabbit Organics giveaway is

Amber at Mom Stuff Blog! 

She was random #12, congrats! 

Shoot me an email at enilorac802 at gmail dot com so I can get your information!

If you didn't win today, DON'T WORRY, I have 3 more giveaways up my sleeve for the coming weeks!

Squeezable goodness {Peter Rabbit Organics giveaway}

I want to introduce you to one of Moses’ favorite snacks; the squeezable puree pouch. We teamed up with Peter Rabbit Organics who offers 100% pure fruit or fruit & vegetable purees in a convenient grab and go pouch for this review and giveaway. Moses has loved these pouches long before this review so he was thrilled to receive his very own package in the mail filled with all 6 pouch varieties. I’m not kidding… want to make your toddler the happiest guy on the planet…put something special for him in the mailbox!  Moses loves the BPA-free resealable, individual packaging and feels like a big boy because he can have this snack without any help; I love them because I know they’re healthy and filled with nothing but pure fruits and vegetables.

 

There was no favoritism when it came to flavor options; whether it was sweet potato, corn, & apple or mango, banana, & orange he loved them all. I tasted the pea, spinach, & apple and was very surprised how strong the pea flavor was however mixed in with the fruit it simply tasted like a sweet treat to Moses and he loved it. They are perfect for a morning on the run, an afternoon snack, or when we are stuck in the car longer than expected.  You can find them in Starbucks nationwide, in select Whole Foods Markets, Publix and Albertsons, and natural food stores, in all Buy Buy Baby stores, and online at Amazon.com, Diapers.com, BabiesRUs.com and Spud.com.

Peter Rabbit would like to offer someone their own gift pack featuring all 6 flavors two times over; meaning someone will receive 12 pouches of their own! 

To Enter: Leave a comment telling me which flavor you’re most interested in trying! 

Extra entries: Please leave an additional, separate comment for each of the follow you do:

Tweet about the giveaway; make sure to include @BusylandB and the blog link

Share the giveaway with your Facebook followers and including the blog link

Fan on FB OR follow Peter Rabbit Organics on Twitter @PR_Organics

The giveaway will close on Saturday and I’ll announce the winner next week!

Blip.

I was home sick yesterday so my week has started off kind of wonky!

We had a great weekend! Look for a fun post including pictures (that I didn’t take, of course) this coming week from our Saturday morning adventure.

A little fun teaser for another upcoming post…something wonderful arrived in my mailbox yesterday I cannot wait to share! It was one of those moments where I opened the mailbox, saw the package and squealed! Get ready to fall in love!

Other posts to come include another big milestone at our house, hormonal mommy messes, and a picture post from a wonderful event that I failed to even mention on here!

There is a lot swirling around in my head today and I’m eager to share….but…seeing as my Tuesday is my Monday and there are other (ya know, important) things to do I will be sharing another time!

Cloth Diaper Week Winners

It’s Wednesday and that means time to announce the winners for the Cloth Diaper Week giveaways. I’m saying this for the 17th time but I’ve had so much fun hosting this week or reviews and giveaways and I hope all of you check out these great companies and consider them for your next diaper purchase.

The winners were chosen by typing in the number of people who entered the giveaways into Random Number Generator. I then went and counted through all the comments to make sure you really were # __ of the legitimate comments. I wanted to make it fair for everyone who entered so I hope no one’s feelings are hurt! If you’re really upset you didn’t win, don’t worry, the companies offer all of these products for purchase!


Day 2 Giveaway: Itti bitti’s bitti tutto diaper
solecrafter@gmail.com
She loved the color Lime

Day 3 Giveaway: Bummis Wet Bag
meldal_05@hotmail.com
I'm already subscribed to you on Reader. Does that count? Or is this how you trick me into getting a Twitter acct? :)

Day 4 Giveaway: Sprout’s All In One diaper/ Trainer
TaraShinkle2009@yahoo.com
Her funny potty story: We are actually trying to get potty training along now! I remember my daughter looked like she needed to go, so I ran her into the bathroom and got her potty ready and helped her take her shorts off and her diaper, right as
I took the diaper off, she pooped right on me and next to the toilet (not in)! It was funny but gross at the same time!


Day 5 Giveaway: Wahmies’ Wet Bag
graceink at yahoo dot com
She tweeted!

Day 6 Giveaway: OsoCozy’s All In One diapers (2)
daylilylanefl (at) gmail (dot) com
I'd name my company, "Cotton Tails" because I think little cloth diapered babies look like they have cute puffy little booties like a rabbits puffy tail. You know, like,"here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping round the bunny trail..."
I just think it's cute.


Congrats to all the winners! I’m sending you all emails today but if you don’t see an email from me by tomorrow morning please send me an email at enilorac802 at gmail dot com in case there was an email server error.


If I cannot get a hold of one of the winners in the next couple days than I have chosen backup winners who I will contact.


My mind is already turning about the next set of fun giveaways

Cloth Diaper Week Day #6 Giveaway

Osocozy all in one diapers mix old school with new school methods.

The inside is completely lined with weave fabric; the same material your old school prefold is made out of. The lining is available in unbleached (birdseye weave) or bleached (gauze weave). Its layered extra thick in the spots that get the wettest but there is also lining in every corner of the inside of the diaper making it super absorbent.

 My weariness with Aplix fasteners started when only after 6 months the tabs in my Bum Genius diapers started weakening. They started to curl up and lose their stickiness; eventually I had to purchase refresher kits and change them all out. However the Osocozy Aplix is sewn down on all four sides directly on the tabs which keep this error from happening. Both tabs stick to one large piece of Aplix or they can be overlapped for smaller babies. Moses is too big to secure with the tabs overlapping however the tabs touch each other when secured meaning there is still room to grow. They come in two sizes: small (6-18 lbs) and large (18-35lbs).

My cons for this diaper are minimal but worth stating. The drying times on theses diapers is much longer than I’m used to. We hang our diapers in the laundry room before bed and in the morning these are the only ones still wet. I’m sure if you sun dried them they would dry much faster but don’t expect for a fast turnaround between washes. If you needed to they can be placed in the dryer to finish the process. The other con is the color options are minimal; white, light green, and aqua.

Osocozy has graciously offered a Busyland reader not one but TWO all in one diapers!

To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me If you had your own cloth company what would it’s name be – if it needs explaining tell us why!  Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entry: follow the blog on Twitter (@BusylandB) OR subscribe via Reader/ email so you won't miss any of the fun this week. Leave 1 additional comment telling me which of the extras you did.

Extra entry #2: Tweet OR update your Facebook status letting your friends know about Cloth Diaper Week. Make sure you include the website link! Come back and leave a comment telling me which one you did and make sure to include your Facebook or Twitter name. 

Cloth Diaper Week Day #5 Review

Mother- ease sent over a Wizard Uuo diaper for us to review. The first thing I must say is I don’t think Moses has ever even noticed his diapers until this one arrived in the mail. Imagine his surprised to see a diaper covered with under the sea fabric! Generally I’m not a print fan however I’ve never even thought of the joy it would bring a toddler to see fun animals on his underpants.

The Uuo diaper is an all in two diaper that also has room for an insert. Confused? Let me explain. There is a sewn in liner that works great for daytime use and then for nighttime (or a heavy wetter) you can place a big insert under the sewn in lining for extra absorbency.

I love that the sewn in insert is slim (giving the diaper a minimal bulk) but still does it’s job. I also love that the extra liner slips out in the wash and there is no need to dig in a pocket for it.

My biggest con about the diaper is it feels ....cheaply made…BUT with that being said I need to defend myself and say I haven’t had one issue with their performance. I am under no contract with this review and can write whatever opinion I want but I felt the need to share both of those things. As you can see below what I’m talking about. They are great diapers and maybe I'm just not used to a "shell" so don’t let that effect your decision...look at the pictures and judge for yourself.

 Moses is 32 lbs and on the last size setting so they are true to fit. Head over to their website and check out the Uuo system for yourself!

Cloth Diaper Week Day #5 Giveaway

If you missed Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday’s Cloth Diaper Week's giveaways then make sure you enter today! I’ll be announcing the winners to all the giveaways next Wednesday.


This morning’s spotlight is on Wahmies Wet Bag. I was quiet surprised when I open the package and saw a camo printed wet bag! All the patterns we have are unisex or somewhat girly so I was instantly thankful that had fabric options that yell “BOY!”


Again, sorry for the terrible pictures...I didn't have the good camera so you'll have to browse their site for a better look!



Favorite feature (again) on this bag is the hanging hook! You really just can’t beat the convenience it brings to hooking it to an overnight or school backpack.

I also like the size of it for a “day” wet bag because it holds 6-8 diapers. To avoid toting around smelly bags I’ll alternate wet bags every other day then wash them both at the end of day 2.

It’s also double layered to insure there will be no ammonia smell floating around outside the bag! My only con is after a few weeks of having the bag it seems like some of the seams are pulling loose. I don’t know if it’s because we use and wash it every other day or if it’s poorly sewn but I’m afraid of what will happen a couple months down the road. Please let me know if any else has seen this seam separation.

To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me what preconceived notion did you (or do you currently) have about using cloth diapers. Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entry: follow the blog on Twitter (@BusylandB) OR subscribe via Reader/ email so you won't miss any of the fun this week. Leave 1 additional comment telling me which of the extras you did.


Extra entry #2: Tweet OR update your Facebook status letting your friends know about Cloth Diaper Week. Make sure you include the website link! Come back and leave a comment telling me which one you did and make sure to include your Facebook or Twitter name.

www.facebook.com/wahmies

Wahmies has been kind enough to offer one of the readers their very own Wet Bag!

Cloth Diaper Week Day #4 Review

Make sure to enter this morning’s giveaway HERE. And if you’re new to the blog today start at the beginning of Cloth Diaper Week HERE to enter all the giveaways so far!



This afternoon I’m reviewing the lovely Loveybum Wet Bag. Unfortunately I don’t see our print offered online anymore so I couldn’t tell you the name of it but know it’s as more beautiful in person than it is in these pictures!

The key phase to this wet bag is well made. You can tell by the way it looks, feels, and functions that someone put time into the design. The waterproof PUL inner lining and cotton outer fabric are both thick so don’t be afraid of smell of leakage.


My favorite feature is the large colored zipper at the top with a big fat zipper end so there is no need to fish around for a 1/8 inch hunk of metal to pull the bag open. Another cool feature Loveybum offers is the squared sewn bottom; that way it can somehow support itself standing up when diapers are inside.

This month I have been spoiled with wet bags containing hooks or handles so that’s one big con to me that it doesn’t have either. Another con is the bang for your buck; at $19 each for a 12" wide x 14" tall x 5" deep sized bag it seems a little small. However I’ve learned that buying cheap poor quality items (especially those that hold smelly diapers) may not be the areas that you should skimp in. Just like the itti bitti diaper on Monday, you’re getting what you pay for, and Loveybum is a quality item.

http://www.loveybums.com/index.php

Cloth Diaper Week Day #4 Giveaway

Today’s featured diaper is more for the older babies and toddlers out there. Willow Pad's Sprout Change training pants is a duo diaper acting as an All-In-One diaper and pull-down training pants for those transitioning over to using the potty. Per Moses’ favorite color we received the Cherry trainer for review.

They are designed to fit children 20-50 pounds (2T-5T) and that is AMAZING feature in my opinion. Sizing is a huge issue when babies grow past the 30 pound mark and finding something that actually needs to be adjusted tighter than its large setting is wonderful. I also love their elastic adjustment system; unlike Fuzzybunz whose elastic sticks out on the inside of the diaper Sprouts are hidden inside. Pictured below you can see the two parallel snaps which secure the diaper and the snap towards the back which incases the hidden adjustment system. I also like that you can pull both strings of elastic (for legs and waist) in one area making contour fit a breeze!

For those who are not ready to potty train this diaper is a great quality all-in-one. Additional padding all over the inside keeps overnight leaks from occurring and the thick insert sewn in the center keeps everything in one place.

There is no snaps on the outside for a contour closure which could potentially be an issue for sizing for smaller babies (20 lbs range). However like I mentioned before there in leg and waist elastic inside that can be adjusted pretty small. Overall I would advise this diaper for young toddlers and beginning potty trainers.

Everyone’s baby will eventually be making this transition and Sprout wants to help make them feel independent so their giving away an AIO/Trainer for one of the readers!

To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me a funny potty training/ diaper/ baby bathroom story! Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entry: follow the blog on Twitter (@BusylandB) OR subscribe via Reader/ email so you won't miss any of the fun this week. Leave 1 additional comment telling me which of the extras you did.

Extra entry #2: Tweet OR update your Facebook status letting your friends know about Cloth Diaper Week. Make sure you include the website link! Come back and leave a comment telling me which one you did and make sure to include your Facebook or Twitter name.